


Phoenix's Word

by type_here



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Gen, I Don't Even Know, I Made Myself Cry, mind the warning, spoilers kinda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-05
Updated: 2018-07-05
Packaged: 2019-06-05 21:23:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15179684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/type_here/pseuds/type_here
Summary: Someone finds the group.  Someone who shouldn't never have found them, especially not Caleb.





	Phoenix's Word

"Caleb, my star pupil." whispers a voice right behind Caleb. He spins around, recognize this slithering voice and- It feels like fog going over his mind, like ice going down his spine. He looks down at his feet. "Why don't you kill them?"

"Caleb?" He doesn't reply to Beau when she calls out his name. He doesn't hear when Nott screams at Trent and makes a move toward him only to be knocked away by Caleb's Unseen Servant. He doesn't even glance at Mollymauk when the tiefling reaches out to him. All he sees hears and replies to is this call of the man that taught him everything he knew. 

Beau and Molly glance at each other scared. They have to think of something. Fast. Nott gets out of the Unseen Servant's grasp, making her way back to Molly and Beau as fast as she can. They don't want to hurt Caleb, the last thing they want is to do that. Their numbers are too small and-

He is there, standing between Trent and the three of them. He was there, readying the glove of scorching ray. Molly knew they had to act fast. He hoped Beau and Nott would follow his suit. He hoped they would understand what he was trying to do.

Molly spoke in Infernal, Caleb's name foreign on his tongue in the strange language. It's enough though, enough to grab Caleb's attention long enough for the spell to work.

"Please Caleb listen to me. You are more than this mind control. You are more than what he made you to be. You are our friend, Caleb. Please put the glove down." 

Nott and Beau understand. They look at Molly who gives them a wane smile and they fight. They flank the man punching and pummeling him. 

He laughs while Molly keeps telling stories. He laughs and tells Caleb to kill the tiefling. Molly can see Caleb fight more and more the control he's under with every story he tells but it's not enough. The pain is blazing and Molly almost passes out even if he was just grazed by the ray. He can see the tears on Caleb's face as he fights the control Trent has on his mind, but it's not enough. 

Molly's scream of pain is enough to stop Beau and Nott in their tracks, however. It's enough for Trent to knock them over and suddenly...

Suddenly there's silence. Caleb looks at Molly.

Caleb can see Molly's lips move but he can't hear a thing. He just sees Molly's pleading look and feels the hand on his shoulder. He doesn't even hear his own heartbeat. Everything is silence. They could move out of this place, he could drag Mollymauk out and finish the job Trent asked of him.

The blanket of silence that was so comforting in the beginning becomes oppressive. Then all at once, so much noise because the silence spell is broken. The sound of the fight, how Beau and Nott fight Trent with all they've got. He counters them blow for blow. They both get a few good shots each, but it's nothing to bring him down. He laughs in their faces. He laughs at their struggles. If only the others were there. If only-

Molly's voice is loud and clear and so close. "Please Caleb, don't give up." His hand is so impossibly warm again the wizard's cheek.  
Caleb fights with himself, fights the command word, fights because his family is wounded and he won't, he won't let that happen again. His mind hurts so much as Trent relentlessly hammers down his command: "Kill them! Kill THEM! KILL THEM!"

It takes all he has to aim his gloved hand at Trent, aim for his throat that spilt lies upon lies upon lies, at this silver tongue that poisoned his life. In the end though, in a split second decision as the spell is fired from the glove he aims it at himself. 

Killing Trent would make him no better than the man but he's not going to be his weapon anymore.

In this split second he's at peace with the choice. He smiles at Mollymauk and hopes his friends will forgive him.


End file.
